Hehehe. I was going to ask if it was a French, WW2 rifle, never fired, dropped once.

But that wouldn't make it rare, would it?

If the rifle is indeed so valuable then I doubt very much you will be able to get insurance for it unless it is properly secured. If you just keep it in a dispay cabinet in your living room it won't be covered and you will probably have to end up keeping it in a bank vault or something unless your house is built like Fort Knox.

If it is a unique family item, an insurance could not bring it back for no money of the world anyway... so the best safety would be secrecy. Just don't tell anyone that you have an extremly valuabe rifle... hmmmm, probably too late by now.

You seem quite convinced of its extraordinary value. Without wishing to cast doubt on that, perhaps you should have it discreetly appraised. No need to tell your son the result if you don't want to... but it could turn out to be enlightening one way or the other.

Alternatively, I suppose you have to resign yourself to not knowing what will happen to the gun in a few generations' time. Hate to say it but most family heirlooms don't stay heirlooms forever. Maybe you can leave it to your son and grandson "with strings attached" but can you legally constrain all future generations? I'm not a lawyer but I doubt it.

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Maybe it's Lee Harvey Oswalds rifle ?

I was thinking the same, but wikipedia says the FBI found it.

For OP, you may also want to put aside any plans you have for bringing it over at the moment until the swiss vote on the firearms issue, and how they would implement the yes vote is known. It could have a major impact on how you could own and store a gun in Switzerland.

Not to mention the whole timeline continuity issue - he says great grandpa got it from Wyatt Earp, who was born something like a hundred years before Booth.

Talking of weapons and the French this thread reminded me of a BBC documentary on last week.
You could try and chance it and import it in person:

Booth died 1865
Wyatt was born 1848

And its a rifle, not a pistol. Sorry.

Fascinating thread. I don't have anything very useful to add, but just wanted to say that your son will find out the value of the rifle. Instead of worrying about that, why not be completely open with him about it, and it's value to your family. I'd have thought that that's the best way to ensure that he will end up valuing it as you do, and ensuring that he gives it to his kids.

That, and an iron clad trust fund holding entity.

I know that insurance could not bring it back but if the item is worth a fortune would you rather not be paid the fortune than have nothing at all if it was stolen?

Isn't the EF a helpful place.

PM sent.

Cheers,
Nick

It depends... what did you say via PM! Not fair!!

One of the rather useful things about insuring something priceless and irreplaceable to you, yet of high but finite value to others, is that the insurance companies usually specify the level of care and security required for the insurance to be valid.

Thus the process of insuring often helps the owner to separate the "infinite emotional value to self" aspect of ownership from the "high but finite rational value to others", and act accordingly.

And, of course, should the tragic happen and it does get stolen, you now have not just yourself but also an insurance company very motivated in its speedy recovery.